Bonus Music Monday: We are Never Getting Back Together

Understand I am not a Taylor Swift fan. I don't love this song. L does not love this song, but in the last two weeks I have witnessed two events that make me think this song is very important.

The other day I was dropping something off in a local office building and out front there was a young woman, I am guessing early to mid twenties talking heatedly with a man about the same age. It appeared he stopped her as she was coming back from lunch or something. She was being polite, but firm. "No I don't want to see you again." and "Please stop coming to my office."

I made a point of stopping and observing, long enough to get some key details clear in my mind. She knew I was making a point.

Then Saturday night after L's dance show, I was walking my sleepy Diva to the car and one of the older girls was in the parking lot, walking to her car and a young man, with a dozen pink roses. She kept telling him to "please just leave her alone."

He kept insisting he was "sorry" and "please just take my flowers."

I was just about to suggest he move it along, when one of the fathers in the parking lot, walked over, walked him away from the girl. The father was saying, "son, she said no."

She got in her car.

This summer my book club read The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker.

This is a sobering book. He talks about heeding that little voice that tells something is wrong. He also talks about at great length, how women are 97% more likely to be assaulted on any given day and by "someone just trying to be nice." Only they aren't. They are profiling a potential victim. They are a boyfriend who just won't accept "we are never ever going to get back together."

They are the guy with flowers, who knows if you will take his flowers to shut him up and not make a scene in a parking lot, that maybe just maybe you will go out with him again, if he stalks you in a very public place and asks for a date in a few days.

During this very awful and overly drawn out Presidential campaign and highly contested Congressional campaigns, rape has, in my opinion been made light of by some under enlightened assholes. White men, who have never been in the position of having their consent violated, a foreign body shoved inside them. Held down, choked or otherwise threatened.  They have never had their decision to stop at the grocery after a evening yoga class, judged as fool hardy or a sign they "were asking for it." All I can say to the Paul Ryans and Todd Akins and Robert Murdocks of the world is Karma is a bitch and I hope you are ready, because some day she will get her do.

I digress.

Sexual assault by a stranger is a legitimate concern, but the reality is more women, will be assaulted by some one they know or have been friendly to intimate with previously.

Approximately 2/3 of rapes were committed by someone known to the victim.¹
73% of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger.¹
38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance.¹
28% are an intimate.¹
7% are a relative.<sup>1

(from RAINN)</sup>


In less than 10 days, I witnessed two such examples, women being pursed by someone whom they had a relationship and ended it, and each time, these men were not hearing the word "NO!"

Even more shocking:

(also from RAINN)

I can remember in high school, college and when I was first working, being faced with the relentless pursuit of a man. As women, we are socialized to be nice. So I would always try to be polite. To be kind. To put them off. To say No, 1000 ways. To be not heard. When I finally got to No... a few times I had to yell it a few times... because they were NOT about to take no as an answer. Understand I am not talking about sex-- I am talking about invitations to date, ect. Or another date, after the first one was lousy. Or the guy who stalked me at my first job, convinced he could treat me way better than "other guy."

The cute but uninteresting guy who stood by my locker every day after math class, trying to get me to go out with him... for a year.

De Becker covers this and more in his book. Our culture rewards persistence. The Little Engine that could. Try and try again. Bring on those pink roses, even when she is yelling "go away."

Business breeds this sensibility too. One of the last seminars I took, before leaving the bank, was "Overcoming Objections." It was basically sales techniques to turn a "NO" into a "Yes."

This is dangerous I think. When the wrong person is in the audience. I think we should as a culture, learn to respect the word "No." In all cases.

No means No.

And if you think I am being dramatic-- let's consider this sobering thought--

Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

Here's the math. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey --there is an average of 207,754 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year.
There are 525,600 minutes in a non-leap year. That makes 31,536,000 seconds/year. So, 31,536,000 divided by 207,754 comes out to 1 sexual assault every 152 seconds, or about 1 every 2 minutes.

(from RAINN)

And those are the assaults we know about... or think we know about... given that so many people do not report being assaulted or seek medical attention, it is hard to get a handle on the actual number.

So while I know this song is annoying and people don't like it... I for one am glad it is out there. We need to be having this conversation more often. We need to push back-- so that under enlightened assholes like Ryan and Akin get tarred and feathered for suggesting that sexual assault, all sexual assault isn't valid or it is rare or whatever random rape denying shit rolls forth from their mouths. It happens-- EVERY TWO MINUTES. Sometimes at knife point and sometimes while in shock and sometimes at the hands of a man who swore up and down he loved you and would never hurt you. Until you tell him "no" and he forces you down and takes what he feels his for the taking.

I cannot stand the rape deniers. They have no place in our government. They have no place making laws. They need to be told-- HELL NO.

We need to teach our children that NO means NO.

But first we obviously need to teach politicians this lesson first.

Music Monday: Get Out of Your Mind and Heads Will Roll

This past week has been all DANCE all the time. Regular rehearsal Monday, extra YCO rehearsal Tuesday, L did volunteer work at school on Wednesday, Thursday was performance at the local Halloween event at the rec center, Friday was no school, but my dancer did outreach with YCO and performed at two inner city schools and a retirement community. Saturday was the show.

The girls brought down the house! So amazing. My music this week is two songs I loved, that were featured in the show. The Middle School dance company did a high energy and amazing dance to  Otta Your Mind! Loved it!

There is another version of this song by Li Jon and LMFAO, but this version by
Alex and Twitch is PG-13 and much closer to the song the girls danced to.

The other dance was "Left at the Alter" aka Brides of Frankenstein...

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs-- Heads Will Roll

I have always liked this song. The girls did a great job with it.

Halloween is a time I think we all confront and think about scary things. This year it is even more confrontational. Living in Ohio is tough... being a battle ground state, has meant my phone ringing off the hook. (The down side of being an independent voter.) I would like to off some heads. I did yell at some people canvasing last week. (Hello, it is the Internet stupid, if I wanna know about your slim ball candidate, I will look him up.)

If it were up to me, lots of heads would roll. Lots... I have decided the most useless, entitled people on the planet are in politics. If they really cared they would get real jobs, helping real people. Our two party system is crap, both parties know it and they work damn hard to keep everyone else out. (I mean who wouldn't want a job, where deadlock is rewarded one way or the other.)

If I were in charge, it would be off with their heads, let's dance cuz the wicked beasts dead. (the parties not the people, I am angry, not homicidal... although one more phone call might push me over the edge.)

Music Monday: Get a History Book Please

So in honor of our nation's birthday, I would like to humbly suggest to every arm chair constitutionalists, every senator and every member of the house and every governor hurry to their local library and or surf on over to Amazon and check out some history books. I would humbly suggest getting books from a variety of sources-- for example, it will not kill liberals to read more conservative texts and conservatives to check out some liberal texts. The ultra religious would be well served by reading some texts by those of an agnostic bent and agnostics would not be struck down by reading some texts written by ardent believers.

The point of this is-- relying on a single source or a single flavor of sources IS not the basis for forming a well rounded opinion. The truth, is almost always in the middle. One cannot in my opinion effectively reach the middle or come to terms with any subject or effectively reject a position until one has examined said issue from all the angles.

Also, one has to be dedicated to understanding the realities of what was in the past. I cringe when I hear people, mostly white middle aged men, saying we need to return to the government of founding fathers. Um, women could not vote in 1776, they could not own property, actually they were property and owning slaves and indentured servants was perfectly legal and encouraged. Monogamy was not the norm, certainly not for men of means. We actively drowned women calling them witches, using way less than humane or scientific means of truth extraction.  People were jailed for debts and small infractions were punished by standing in the public stocks. (Trust me the colonies and early America prohibited all sorts of social behaviors.) The colonists and the early Americans paid a lot of taxes and honestly only property owners actually got to fully participate in the political process. So by all means, let's go back to the time of ...

Beastie Boys-- Paul Revere


(I'll stay right here-- because I have actually read about the early Americans and I think, frankly I will pass. If only to avoid wearing crazy cotton dresses and raw sewage in the streets.)

It is the company you keep, as much as the economy

The other night, I watched the unfortunate You Tube video Rick Santorium made. All of it. All agonizing 44 minutes of it. As I have said before, I think it is bad form to criticize things or people, you have not properly vetted.

When Newt was being called out by his ex-wife, I read alot. Herman Cain, the same. Bill Clinton, and his very public situation, the same. John Edwards. Again...

I will say early on in the GOP quest for implosion, I had not heard of Santorium and I stumbled upon some of his thoughts on taxes and fiscal responsibility. I liked what I read, until I read more. Yikes, he makes Ron Paul look pretty palatable, and that is saying something, because on a good day Ron Paul is just left or right of crazy.

None of this should imply that I think Obama is doing a bang up job. I don't. We have seen in the last few years some very suspect and down right scary maneuvers. The TSA has grown in power under Obama's watch, we are seeing an acquiescences to torture and the slow erosion of our civil rights. All on his watch.

None of that is a good thing.

And frankly, the economy is still in the toilet. No matter how you massage the numbers, the economic future isn't that rosy. We have no vision for the long term growth and development of the economy.  That debt ceiling, that is scary.

I would say in any other year the Democrats would have at least had rumblings of someone wanting to at least run against Obama.  Not this year.

One wonders why not... the economy isn't great, the Congress has remained deadlocked. Obama has not shown a willingness to build consensus, and honestly seems to favor the deadlock. I am not saying someone should run against Obama, I am just saying that for a Democratic upstart, the conditions are good. A splash could be made.

The GOP could have run a pickle with a sign saying, "It is the Economy!" and had a proper showing. Sadly, they can't even manage that.

So what is a GDI like me left with? I have only once or twice declared a party and voted in the primary.  This year won't be a third.

News flash - I don't like either party. Neither party has a place for me. I am fiscally conservative, social progressive or a social liberal -- with a Libertarian bent. I actually think more should be done at the State level and less at the Federal level. I think abortion is a medical procedure and it is between a woman and her doctor and no one else. I think the government should not be in the marriage business and I think our tax system is for the birds. I think the two party system is broken and we need to look to the Europeans and learn something, a multi party approach will create an environment of compromise and if it doesn't - you send them packing, dissolve the parliament and vote in some new blood. I think the government should butt out of social matter, stop giving religious groups tax breaks when they engage in political campaigning and start focusing on the meat of the matter and stop being distracted by social issues.

I think the GOP has made a fatal miscalculation. Mixing conservative values with respect to money, spending, and interpretation of the Constitution with that of social conservatism. Getting into bed with radical religious groups, will not ever get my vote. Rick Santorium's vision of a religious (ie Christian) utopia is not going to EVER get my vote. Wasting time (ie money) debating why homosexuality is against the Bible's teaching is never going to get my vote. First of all, I don't care, I don't necessarily use the Bible as my road map and secondly, it isn't the business of government what religious teaching is most valid.(And hello, there are other religious groups in this country. Lots of them. A fair number of agnostics too.) It is the business of government to ensure we have roads to drive on, a means to support the free flow of goods and an orderly commerce. Protecting our boarders and so forth. The road map that ought to guide our government is not the Bible, but rather the Constitution.

I suppose, if Rick or Newt or Mitt can fix all the problems connected to the roads, the tax system, the subversion of our civil rights and finds himself bored, then I suppose a deeply religious and philosophical discussions of morality can ensure - but only after the real work is done.

America is and has been off track. We are refusing to deal with the real issues and instead wasting time and millions on the non-issues. Social issues are not the business of government. The mountain of debt owed to foreign nations and the lack of checks and balances in spending, those my friends are the make or break issues. I have heard my friends making fun of Greece, judging Greece. Well... let me just say, debt snowballs quickly and the Baby Boomers, well the Baby Boomers aren't getting any younger and in case anyone was confused, when the economy tanks, the amount of tax revenue generated trends downward also.

It isn't just that we are seeing a huge erosion of the middle class in this country, what we are seeing is the development of a new class of entitled individuals. The members of congress. They want the big bucks, the nice health plan and the retirement plan that knocks your socks off. They are above the law because they are writing the law. Newt is a prime example, I think of this thinking, as is Obama, by the way. The career politician who makes rules for the rest of us, but feels no need to be bound by it. Their grasp of personal honor and integrity is shaky at best. They are above us, the unwashed masses.

And think about it... their livelihood depends upon it. They are not serving their country, they are gutting it. One bill at time. Looting and gutting, while beholden to their special interests and campaign contributors. Not the voters back home... they forget about us the day the polls close.

So here is what I have to say to the GOP - who frankly my vote was yours to lose and lose it you have. For me it isn't just about the economy. It is about the company you keep and all the times that you have a chance to really take a stand, even if it is painful one and you passed. Blame the democrats for luring you into a debate designed to divert attention from the true matters at hand, you went and with gusto. Blame the liberal media, you know - there is Twitter and blogging and money talks, buy an ad in the paper - you didn't. Each and every time you have a chance to really speak up, be a true agent for change - you pass( and hold nonsense hearings instead.) If you cannot even control your own public image, divorce yourself from social conservatism - which by the way is leading you down the path of big government of a religious controlling sort - cannot show me some real passion for change. How then, can you as a party possibly get this country back on track.

You can't.

And let me be clear, a primary reason for this, is directly connected to the company you choose to keep.

Silent all these...Stop SOPA & PIPA

I am going silent - to join in the January 18th BLACK OUT... there was no easy way to black out my blog on the blogger platform - so I am posting these guys to remind everyone that the 1st Amendment  protects our right to speak up, speak out, to read, to seek out, and to listen to what we deem appropriate.

Piracy of copy written material is horrible, it hurts artists and authors and those who work to bring those works into the market place - but these proposed laws - they hurt us more.

I will not be online tomorrow. I am going silent, in protest of this pending legislation, written by people who obviously have no clue how the Internet works and who are so beholden to special interests they will throw together a bill that basically shreds the 1st Amendment.

As a writer, I own my work - until I sell it.
As an American - it is my right to read, speak and write my conscious - until Congress takes that away.

We must all be silent tomorrow - to prove our point - the information superhighway must come to a grinding halt.

To learn more  -- visit Stop American Censorship. Let your voice be heard - the silence is deafening.

You can't have it both ways...

I know - I should avoid topics of religion and politics, but this one bugs me... Blame H, he brought the USA Today home.

I read Thomas S. Kidd's "Time for government to butt out piece" in the October 3, 20011 edition of the USA Today  and I have to say he is both right and wrong. I should preface this with I am probably as close to agnostic as I have ever been and that I left the governing body of my former church very angry and very disillusioned. I also am not a tax accountant nor a lawyer. What I am is a tax payer who is tied of subsidizing companies - like BIG BANKS and Religious Organizations who want to cry separate when they break laws - like say equal opportunity clauses. (Beyond the fact that I find it - as a non practicing former/reformed/confused/angry Christian MORALLY REPUGNANT - that a religious organization would summarily dismiss, likely without an offer of disability, a teacher who developed a medical disability. This, this is their idea of walking as Christ walks and offering charity.)

Here's my take on the situation - if religious groups take any sort of governmental funding up to and including the 503c tax exemptions, then they are SUBJECT to limited governmental oversight. In my mind it really is that simple. If you accept grants from the federal or state government, you are subject to said oversight. If you don't pay taxes, because you seek a "special" exemption - thereby availing yourselves of all sorts of perks - like clean roads, bridges which carry your folk to and from the church, prime real estate at little or no property taxes, emergency services, police, fire, EMS, all without paying your fair share - then YES, you are subject to some federal, state and local oversight. While we are on it - religious institutions pay no sales tax. They take from the local economy every single day.

If this school avails itself of busing provided by the home school distract, it is subject to oversight.

If religious groups want to be SEPARATE, then no feeding off the federal, state and local trough. Hospitals, which take medicare funds, are subject to oversight. Many hospitals are 503c entities, too.

I agree government should have no say in the ministry of particular religious groups. We do not have a state religion - that said - if these groups want to be 100% government free - pay up. Pay your taxes, don't look for hand outs, don't ask for government funds to shore up your programing. Don't look for busing to your schools and don't avail yourself of services you aren't paying for. When your church is on fire or under attack - deal with it... otherwise, be like every other business and make no mistake there isn't a religious group out there that isn't a business, and pay your fair share.

And to Kidd's point -

One cannot imagine a more obvious feature of an establishment of religion, or a clearer violation of free exercise, than the government dictating to a church that it must rehire a religious teacher, especially a person who has violated church teachings or behavioral codes. The Justice Department's position, if vindicated, raises the possibility that courts and bureaucrats may, in the name of contemporary norms of fairness, begin requiring religious organizations to hire any number of candidates who do not accept that faith's tenets. One could easily imagine future decisions forcing churches, synagogues, or mosques to hire employees who do not adhere to the tradition's norms of sexual behavior, for example.

Religious liberty will be severely damaged if faith groups cannot hire and fire according to their beliefs. That's why leaders from such an impressive range of religions are united by the threat of a government clearly overstepping its well-defined boundaries. 

 I think there is a huge difference between firing someone who becomes disabled and hiring someone who's lifestyle choices are incompatible with a given religious groups viewpoint. Either way - if you take government funds -- you march to Yankee Doodle's tune. If you want to be separate, pay up and Uncle Sam will shut up.

Music Monday: REM and Scropions and the tanking market

REM - It's the End of the World as We Know It.

Scorpions - Winds of Change

I held off writing today, I was watching the stock market. Something I used to do all the time. Now I am a casual observer.

I hope everyone is happy now. Today most of you lost somewhere close to 6.6 % of your 401K's value  (if you took an investment advisers advice and bought the Index fund - or buy the market), give or take a few basis points. (basis points, look it up, it is how bankers talk percentages.)

How many of you dear readers vote? How do you make that selection? With your mind or your heart. Is the financial solvency of this country as important to you as bullshit social issues that have no business being part of the legislative agenda? Is your family's financial solvency as important as those social issues. By my unscientific estimation more legislative energy goes into meddling in our bedrooms than into actually solving the very real financial problems staring us in the face.

The fact of the matter is as a nation we spend way more than we take in. It is simple as that. We exempt businesses from paying taxes, which I think is silly and frankly we must be one of the only countries doing that. making money in the US means paying your fair share. (Um, hello GE I am talking to you!)

Our nation's economy looks alot like the room featured in the REM video and I am willing to bet you that half of the Congress people couldn't find Gorky Park on a map and better than 3/4 quarters of Americans have no clue where it is either. (But I bet they can find the Jersey Shore and tell you the names of the whiny women on Desperate Housewives.) We are a nation of lazy, greedy, short sighted, individualists. No one wants to take responsibility for anything - and the Congress actually thought it would be ok going on vacation when they left the FAA unfunded. (And FYI the airlines had given themselves a 7.5% untaxed raise while collecting those un-legislatively collectable taxes) WTF? Vacation is a perk most of us have to earn, not an entitlement people. What happened to working harder there guys?

The debt crisis and the credit downgrade is no laughing matter people. We are a huge international player and we used to be the gold investment standard. Nothing was better than US treasuries. NOTHING. It has been a long time since I would have considered buying a US government debt instrument, for a lot of reasons.

I hope this sucker punch to your 401K accounts wakes you up. When you vote in November I hope you know who had your back when it came to minding the federal checkbook.

The Winds of Change are blowing indeed... I am thinking moving up wind or up North might be in everyone's best interest or better yet shit canning most of Washington, their bullshit and their obvious self interests... they serve at our pleasure and right now, I am 16 kinds of displeased.

Music Monday: J. Geils Band - Centerfold

J. Geils Band - Centerfold

So I remember this song from the roller rink. I had these great, white skates with a blue swish, I think and I got from the "skate shop" these red pom-poms. I thought I was just the coolest. Also the coolest - the red creme soda. Loved that. Especially with those crushed ice pellets. Delish!

For those of you who didn't skate or aren't old enough to remember the skating rinks fashions, I found this picture online. To help with the visual.

My pom-poms were bigger and fluffier and I wore them at the base of the laces. This skate however is the correct shape.

I could skate backwards and forwards and do all sorts of fancy moves. (I know, right, the things you thought you knew about me. Last week I come out as a capitalist and this week, I am admitting to being a skating rink fashion plate. What might I reveal next week? Stay tuned.) I remember working SO hard to be able to skate backwards, because it increased your options when it came to couples skates and well, I was determined to be able to do it.

I am also pleased to announce, well pleased is the wrong word. Bemused. That seems to fit slightly better.

On Wednesday I got to be featured as Uncle Sam's centerfold. That's right, the first time I fly since the TSA (which I think stands for totally stupid assholes, and I will explain why, in just a moment.) started taking non consensual and "porn by extortion" pictures, I get to give it a try. So yeah, I had my right to say no to sexual situations violated and my constitutional rights violated all at once.

Now since I was clear about my being a capitalist, I will say, I am really ok with porn. I might be willing to sell pictures of myself, for an appropriate fee, but they stole the images of me. They have rigged the game. (I also am willing to bet that those pictures are in some database somewhere or worse yet on some porn site by now. I just don't trust their rhetoric at all.) They say, if I want to fly, then I get to be criminally violated. What they do is no different than holding a gun to your head. They have criminalized the purchase of an airline ticket. (See my related posts.)

And in the interest of candor, because your elected officials will lie to you, in fact I am convinced that is a test, you cannot run for elected office until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that you will in fact lie and cheat your constituents. They do it all the time. Show me a politician that hasn't ever lied about something, and I will give you a kiss.

So in the interest of candor, I will say this, I am totally opposed to having pornographic pictures taken of me without me receiving due compensation, but that is not really what made me angry Wednesday morning.

What made me angry is that the TSA officials insulted my intelligence. When I suggested it was odd that only women were being put thru the scanner the supervisor sort said, "Nope. Nope, it is random."

Ok, let's recap. I have an MBA. As an MBA, I have recently taken not one, but two higher level stats classes. I can tell you more about random sampling than the average writer.

How was it random, when there were say 45-50 waiting at the check point and the ONLY people going thru the prono scanner? All female. Every last one of them, save the guy with the bilateral knee replacements.

Look, I get it. You want to see boobs. You are a pervert and the US government has hand delivered an easy way for you to get your kicks. You would be stupid to not avail yourself of this opportunity. So don't lie to me and insult my intelligence, simply cop to being a pervert and tell me thank you. I know I have pretty perky girls.

To make matters worse. We have this porno machine at our little airport and then in NYC, nope, nothing, nada. Just a plain old metal detector. At one of the busiest airports in the world, the metal detector is good enough. That speaks volumes.

My blood runs cold, my memory has just been...

Music Monday: Howlin Maggie

Easy to be Stupid

I'm a Slut

Alchol

I saw Howlin' Maggie back in the day. They put on one amazing show. They recently came back together for a benefit for Andy Davis. They are a local band and I think they made two fantastic records. Above are three of their best known songs. At least, three of my favorites.

 Today's post will likely get a few people worked up. So fair warning, if you do not want to read my frank discussion about sex, violence, capitalism, and the judgmental and I believe stupid and misguided regulation of vice, I humbly suggest you stop reading this now. Right now, move along - nothing for you to see here.

I am going to link to some works written by some folks I respect, who aim their material to those folks who are over 18. There will be a crafty post later and you should really think about coming back for that one. For this reason I am employing the cut. To protect those who choose not to stop reading. You click, you affirmatively have decided to read what I have to say. (For those of you reading on Facebook, you were warned. Stop now if you don't want to read about sex and capitalism.)

Death and Taxes

I know we all feel the Europeans pay alot of taxes, but have you ever stopped to think about how much TAX we American's pay? I bet it is almost about 50% of our annual salaries. Maybe more... I found this list online, I doubt it is comprehensive, but think about it...

Utility Taxes (those pesky add ons on your bills each month)
Capital Gains (if you own mutual funds or stocks outside a retirement plan you pay this annually)
BMV License & Registration (annaul and then every 5 yrs)
Cigarette & Alcohol (if you indulge aka the "sin" tax)
Dog License
Federal Income (taken from your paycheck)
Fishing License
Gasoline (42 cents per gallon in some places)
Hunting License
Inheritance (unless you are the spouse - inheriting money is expensive business)
Interest (yep you pay tax on what you earn in your savings account annually - in this economy you might pay all you earn towards the tax.)
Local Income (state and city tax, maybe even tax to the city you work and then again to the city you live in.)
Toll Bridge (or toll roads)
Tunnel (if you live in NYC for example)
Sales Tax (on just about everything now, in the State of Ohio - basically food is exempt - for now.)
Workers’ Compensation
Social Security and Medicare  (right out of your pay check)
Property Tax (if you own a home)


I bet if you took a look at your monthly budget, added up all the taxes and then annualized it, you would shocked and likely horrified at how much money you have stolen from you.

Understand, I am all for paying my fair share. I think the government should spend money on a common defense and the care and maintenance of roads, bridges and so forth. I am even in favor of some social programming. I understand the need to fund the schools.

What I am absolutely opposed to is all this waste and the biggest waste of all is the over inflated salaries these asses pay themselves. In Ohio this week - the legislature wasted your tax dollars on testifying fetuses and the airing of HATE speech. They accomplished nothing.

I want results.

My children squabble, I sit them on thinking chairs.

We need a real reality check. We are spending top dollar and getting the keystone cops.

Death of our system as we know it seems more and more likely. We need to get our priorities straight. Social issues have no place in the legislature - we have real business related issues to deal with, like a huge National debt and an economy that is in toilet.

I say the first move we make is to cut off all salaries to the members of congress and state legislatures. When you start putting in a real, productive days work, we will see about paying you for services rendered.

Who owns it...

So - recently I espoused that this is not a craft or cooking blog and it isn't. It is being rather political of late and with good reason.

The Constitution of the United States is taking one hell of a beating of late. This is the document, which is the foundation for our political system and our overall culture I would say. It is what defined us as a nation and it was, in its time, a radical document. It was, not to be punny, REVOLUTIONARY.

It is still relevant today. Freedom is freedom. Liberty is liberty. We must as a nation ALWAYS error on the side of preserving freedom and liberty for ALL. I am not saying we should ignore the law, I am saying when there is gray area, the lens we must use, is the lens that allows for the preservation of liberty and the least intrusion of government in the private lives of citizens.

Human rights, civil rights, states rights and then and only then the rights of the Federal Government.

I am tired of beating the TSA horse - whose policies are  a blanant violation of Americans 4th Amendment rights. (Just so we are clear - I am not changing my opinion, just moving onto another topic.)

I am moving onto the 1st Amendment, which aside from the 4th, is my favorite.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So....

When we as writers write things, which we have factual proof of or are expressing an opinion we hold dear, the government cannot censure it. They don't have to like it, but they cannot censure it. They cannot just come on over and delete my blog. In China, they can. Here in the US, they can't, even though they might want to.

(This includes you Department of Homeland Security, even though you might like to think otherwise, just sayin' Constitutions trumps the Patriot Act and if doesn't - shame on you court system.)

This brings us to WikiLeaks. (who I would link to, but am either being blocked from doing so by Big Brother and Big Business or they truly have not found a new host server.) Here is a reuters news article on the subject.

I am not exactly sure how I feel about the cache of US State Department Cables, which WikiLeaks is slowly feeding out into the Internet. On one hand, as a writer, I want my copyright respected. No one better be publishing my work, without my permission, I own it, unless I have waived my rights. You can quote me, if you link properly. (see what I did with the Amendment 1 quote.)

What WikiLeaks is doing is hardly quoting. It is publishing documents wholesale. Presumably redacted in certain cases.

Also, do the writers of the documents have copyright rights? Is their work product considered the property of their employer, the United States Government and as such, what must the Government do to safe guard that work product.

And let's clear this up, how did WikiLeaks get the information? Was it really that easy for one army private pencil pusher, to download all this stuff and just pass it along. Did he get paid?

If WikiLeaks paid him to "steal" the information, ie it was their idea and they asked him to do, then I am more upset than if they just bought it from him.

What I am ravingly pissed about is that he, this lowly army PFC could get his hands on it at all! Hello - is my government run by a bunch of circus clowns? (emphatic nodding of head YES!)

Furthermore, some of what is said in what little of this I have read is objectionable. It is not professional and it is the kind of thing I would NOT want my employees writing about co-workers, allies, vendors or partners. Everything we write or say in a professional (and frankly personal) context should pass what I call the "would I want to see this printed on the front page of the New York Times." (any doubts - yes this blog post passes this test and frankly if they want to reprint it, it will cost them. I am not waiving my fee.)

Then there is the very real issue of who needs to know. There was a time I would have said that some things need to remain secret. I don't feel that way now. I have about zero confidence in the elected officials in Washington and their appointees. They allowed slanderous material to be stolen and then leaked. What kind of security did they have in place. (Um, poor.)

Freedom is not a game. National Security is not a game. A police state is not what we want. We have to have a balance between Freedom and Liberty and frankly I think it is HIGH time the American public wake up and realize we are not getting what we are paying for in terms of representation and good stewardship of our national ideals.

Members of Congress and the President are public servants. They serve at our pleasure and we pay their salary.

Shifting gears -

There is some speculation that Amazon and other web hosts were pressured to kick WikiLeaks off their servers. I am inclined to believe phone calls were made. I am also inclined to believe that WikiLeaks violated Amazon's terms of service vis a vi the ownership of content posted and hosted via Amazon's web service. (This is what Amazon has said in a press release/comment)

The thing is, in this case, I think it should have gone to court. It would be incumbent on the US and other Nations to prove that WikiLeaks had no legal right to the content. Who owns the documents. Was there a reasonable expectation of privacy?

In my experience, Terms of Service  Agreements are the scapegoat. Is Amazon actively monitoring all of its clients and the material posted to the servers. Not a chance. Did someone with some political clout recommend they take action. You betcha.

I think everyone deserves a slap on wrists here. Amazon for appearing to cave (and as a book seller, that scares me. What if someone with some political power suggests not selling a book about this very case in a year. Will they cave? The press must be allowed to continue.)

The US Government, sloppy with your security of documents and archives much. For shame. For shame that it was that easy to get that amount of information, embarrassing information stolen. You have no one to blame but yourselves and I were the boss - a good number of you would be fired.

WikiLeaks - I am not sure of your motivates. I am not sure you are the good guy. I do think, that you have an agenda that I might not be 100% in favor of, but I do think you are exposing the truth, embarrassing though it might be.

I will leave you dear readers with this. I used to wonder how Hitler did it. How did he get a nation, if not half a continent to follow his insane plans? I could not for the life of me as a young passionate contrary woman get my head around the idea that all those people went along. Hello your neighbors are being marched to a gas chamber. Your co workers are disappearing. Didn't you smell something, anything?

I will tell you how it happens. Erosion of civil rights and then the justified seizure of your basic human rights. It really is that simple. It is systematic and it is brutal and it is happening right now in the US at airports. It happened with your investment accounts right after 9/11 - too bad most Americans didn't notice.

It may start at a train station near you soon.

It may already be happening with our ability to gather information on the world wide web. It may be happening at the largest retailer of books/media, Amazon. (Why can't I get WikiLeaks to come up?)

When the STATE decides what information you have a right to see, that is censorship.
When the STATE decides it is ok to sexually assault you in an airport, that is a police state.
When the STATE decides to exempt themselves from the rules (notice congress members are exempt from sexual assault at airports.) It is the slippery slope to Big Brother running rampant.
When the STATE decides to run it citizens to the ground in a public square with tanks, that was China, it could just as easily be the United States.

When WikiLeaks leaks largely unedited and highly embarrassing documents, which it easily obtained, I think it is unethical on one hand, but way preferable to being felt up in an airport and being told what to read by the State.

It is preferable to being forced to join the Hitler Youth and hiding in my cellar as Nazi soldiers ransack my family home and physically and perhaps sexually intimidate my mother, which is EXACTLY what my mother in law experienced as a girl not much older than my daughter, in Germany during WW II.

Let's be careful what we wish for, as we level judgment on those who publish the truth. WikiLeaks did not write these documents... they are merely exposing those who did.

The real question is - is the tone and tenor of those documents the tone and tenure we want our elected official and government employees to be using? Is this what are tax dollars should be spent on? Should we believe what the President says because he is the President? Or should we be more critically thinking about how we are running this nation. Do we want to follow (goose stepping along like lemmings) the "this is what WE decided is best for you" bandwagon?

Those are the questions, which we must answer.

Dear Mr. President

I rarely write to my elected officials, cuz let's be honest, no one above an intern actually reads what is written. Also I am rarely moved to such high levels of angst. I have to tell you, not much gets me up in arms, aside from when the government tries to monkey with my right to free speech and I am a BIG fan of the 4th Amendment. I have a right to say NO you can't touch me, look through my car or house, just because YOU think there is threat.


I also have spent more than ample time empowering both L and E to say no. No you can't hit me. No you can't hurt me and no you can't touch me in inappropriate ways. I am not inclined to make an exception to a TSA official, especially when this list of folks gets to waltz through scott free, unmolested and unscreened (as reported by Chris Elliott.)

The TSA insists it is listening to air travelers, and has already loosened many of its screening requirements in response to the public outrcy, including exempting pilots, flight attendants and children under 12 from the body scans or enhanced pat-downs. (Children will receive a “modified” pat-down, but the agency declines to say how, exactly, kids will be screened.)

It is so damn easy for President Obama to say these measures are important, he gets to jet set around the world with his wife and children and not have to explain to his daughters why women and men in uniform are touching them inappropriately. He does not have to explain to his daughters why they have to give up their right to consent to sexual touching.(also as reported by Chris Elliott)

President defends pat-downs. President Obama tells ABC’s Barbara Walters tonight that the pat-downs will continue. “I understand people’s frustrations with it,” he says. “But I also know that if there was an explosion in the air that killed a couple of hundred people…and it turned out that we could have prevented it possibly…that would be something that would be pretty upsetting to most of us – including me.”

No one is going to goose him in an airport, so why should he care. His cronies are exempt. His wife is exempt. His children are exempt. The baggage handler is exempt. This TSA policy is for the birds and we all know it.

So this is the message I sent the man I voted for 2 years ago. His job is to keep us safe and UPHOLD the Constitution. It is not an either/or proposition Mr. President. Take your fancy education and figure out some real solutions. I would start with finding Mr. Pistole a job as a pencil sharpener, he is not representing you well.

My Letter to the President:

I am writing you to urge you to reconsider this horrible and I feel unconstitutional TSA search and irradiation policy. As the father of two daughters, I cannot believe that a) you feel what amounts to sexual assault is justified, even to young children and b) this policy with its abundance of loop holes, like unscreened airport employees and members of congress, and the underscreened cargo  is not actually making us safer, but it is discriminatory.

Buying an airline ticket should not also mean I must submit defacto to sexual assault.

There are better ways and it is up to you, Mr. President to find them.

There must be a balance between security and dignity.Policies which purport to ensure our safety but steal our dignity must not be tolerated. That is not what the founding Fathers' risked life and liberty for and we should not be willing to accept anything less than that.

Freedom comes with great responsibility and first and foremost we must responsibly protect those freedoms.
This wrongheaded and unconstitutional TSA policy are not the way to do that. I know you know that. As a father you want your daughters to be safe and have the right to consent. Do not steal that from my daughter, just because your daughters can fly on a private jet. Just because your wife does not have to be man-handled in public, do not make me consent to such treatment.

If there were proof that these type of loop hole riddled policies actually made me safer, perhaps I would go along with it, but they don't and we all know that.

Sincerely,

Susan

A flying...

F*CK!

This phrase has always struck me as bit off. I imagine little fairies or cherubs or 300 pound men on Circus trapeze, whatever. When kids would say this in High-school, or more correctly yell it, I was always puzzled. I digress.

I picked this title because a friend made a very funny funny and it inspired me. (Thank you R!)

If you are somewhat awake and following the news, you know that the TSA has been busy of late. Want to bone up on the full body scanners and enhanced pat downs - go here for a primer.

I will also note, H had an incident this week, at an airport, where these new procedures are in play. A butter knife was found and H followed protocol and the head of TSA for that airport came and that clown asked H if he wanted to search the plane or not. H is like, heck ya I wanna search the plane, I want to see what else you missed.The passengers deplaned and they all got re-screened and the plane got a thorough going over (all except the cargo, that is.)

I will let you in on a little secret. I dislike Big Brother (who now is turning into Creepy pervy - in a bad way - Uncle!) I have a real problem with people in authority who are stupid. While we are at it, I have zero tolerance or patience for stupid in general. I also have a BIG problem with my basic rights being violated. Convicted criminals cannot be subjected to this type of invasion of privacy without proper cause and yet we the American flying public are paying to be subjected to groping and radiation and news flash - it isn't doing anything to make us safer. Not when cargo goes unscreened or under-screened and airport employees are only randomly screened.

So while those of us who choose to fly (which is not me - after my trip to Cancun, I plan to stay firmly on terra firma for awhile.) are stripping down to our underwear, being zapped with what cannot be a safe amount of radiation, by people who may or may not be saving those images, and then poked and prodded in a manner that would get the average horny guy in a bar arrested and on a sexual predator list - millions and I mean millions of pounds of cargo are flying on commercial airliners - unscreened or under-screened. H says he routinely gets a manifest which includes cargo, that NO ONE had screened since it has been entered into the system and then it is likely the shipper answered some yes or no questions, and not enduring a groping.

Go with God, darling. Go with God. Especially when this is the US attitude toward screening of cargo.

U.S. Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole, who also attended the conference, said a delicate balance needs to be struck to ensure that the enhanced security requirements for air freight do not disrupt global trade.
"The flow of global commerce is key to economic recovery," Pistole said. "Security cannot bring business to a standstill."

So while we consumers, air travelers and normal Joe's are being subjected to draconian and I think illegal searches of our person and property, cargo, stuff in boxes is flying first class, unsearched and unscreened.

This Article has a great graphic detailing how cargo is processed. While there is some screening, it is not nearly as invasive or as thorough as passengers are enduring. Nor is cargo stored in a sterile area. It is often left unattended, on the tarmac, on a truck or in a warehouse.

Now if I were of a mind to wreck havoc, I would go for the airport employees - who come to work and largely get to pass through unscreened. While nosing around, I found this article about what the TSA says it is doing. I am not buying it. H says he has never, in all the airports he has been in, seen it either. I think that every employee of an airport should have to submit to the same screening as passengers everyday. Why should they be any different than the guy who flies two to three times a week? They are the door in. Let's face it, they are paid peanuts. Many are foreigners or new to the US and money is an issue. I am not sure how easy it is to do a 10 year background check on a tarmac employee, who is from Kenya or Somilia or Mexico and been in this country for a few years. I am sure those governments, in the developing world have great record keeping methods and I am sure they are super willing to share that information.

Also I recall rather fondly the time, I discovered while doing a client's 401 K pre-test audit and discovered that there were 17 different employees, at three different plants, with the same social security number. Fake ID's anyone? The terrorists who brought us 9/11, many of them had valid State issued ID. While it is illegal to lie to the BMV, a guy or gal who wants to blow something up, I seriously doubt lying to a quasi government agency, a government they have great contempt for, is a great moral quandary.

I am not the only one concerned about this. This article speaks to the perils of swipe cards and security by-pass procedures, which are the rule at US airports, not an exception. (Read more here and here )

So I do give a flying f*ck. My Sweetie, goes to work and his office is 35,000 ft off the ground. I want him to be safe and if I was assured that all the other loop holes were closed and the only way we could assure his safety was for me to strip naked and walk through the airport, get my thyroid fried with radiation and let some pervy, underpaid, under educated goon grope me, I would do it. Heck I might kiss the goon.

But that is not the case and until we close those other loop holes - this is a classic case of the government being lazy and stupid and motivated by corporate interests. Don't hold up cargo. Don't make my employees have to go through security, it eats into the work day. Why should I pay to have them groped. Blah, blah, blah.

The metal detector and the wand searches are enough. They are not 100%, but I think H's experience this week proves they are just as effective as the searches which steal our human rights. I would rather take my chances on what works reasonably well and maintains my dignity than what clearly doesn't work and puts us on the slippery slope to a police state.

Outside voices

The FCKH8 little video floating around facebook and twitter, dealing with repealing Prop 8 and advancing the legalization of marriage for all Americans has caused a stir. I reposted it on my Facebook because I think it is savvy and clever and spot on.

Since 2008, I have been clear that I see marriage as a social contract and ergo it is a legal convention of the State and under the US Constitution,  all Americans must be afforded the same rights and protections under the law. (Here are two of my blog entries which deal with marriage: Contract of Marriage and Marriage is a Social Contract)

That said I am equally opposed to the casual use of the F-word and HATE is a banned 4 letter word in our house. In this case I think the words are being used with the gravity and brevity they both deserve. I think that the time has come to use an outside voice and speak up and speak loudly.

Let's call it as it is. Nothing short of prejudice is stopping marriage from being legally allowed for all couples who meet a baseline set of standards. It is illegal to disciminate for jobs based on a persons sexual orientation so it is not a magic leap to say it is illegal to disallow some couples from availing themselves of all the perks of marriage under the law.

Politically speaking, I think the government's job is to manage the business of running a nation and provide for smooth international relations and commerce. I think less government is better and I think the prudent management of the US check book is in order. At the moment I am disgusted with both parties and I think the lot of them should be sent packing and we should start over. A multiple party system is in order. Accountability and what not.

That said, I find it objectionable that both parties say they are defending the Constitution and clearly having marriage being the litmus test for 1000s of rights and privileges and then limited those who can participate in said Unions goes against the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Sexual Orientation should not be a valid reason to prohibit a couple from all the tax perks (and penalties), insurance benefits, the right to transfer property with tax advantages and the right to be at a loved one's bedside in the event of a tragedy.

I shan't belabor my stance on marriage, go forth and read the links I referenced above.

That said, I think it is time to use an OUTSIDE VOICE. Being nice gets one no where and make no mistake we are at a social crossroads. Our rights are being eroded at every corner and basically we have forgotten that we are a melting pot. There should be some base line social niceties and the rest of our private lives should be that, private. If people want to practice their faith, I am fine with that, I just don't want to hear about it, be roped into participating in it and be subjected to that faith's arbitrarily designed rules. The government is secular, was designed to be secular and should remain so.

Harvey Milk said "“More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion.” The celebration of love, family and the American dream should know no color, race, gender or sexual orientation. Family units look and feel differently for everyone, but what cannot be disputed is families are the bedrock of society. We already live in a society where those units are a myriad and various as makes of automobiles, now is the time for the law to catch up with the social reality.

The other reason I thought this campaign was worth discussing is I am a MBA geek. I love thinking and writing about business and specifically marketing. I find marketing to be fascinating. I also am currently writing and thinking about social media. I attended a workshop on the use of social media in one's business model.

This campaign in the short 12 days it has existed as raised over $100,000 and has done so through the use of social media. Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. This is cutting edge. Whether you agree with the message or not, you have to admit that it is an example of what viral marketing is capable of generating. Social media, for now, is free. Set up a Facebook Fan page, a Twitter ID and You Tube channel and you are off to the races. Free.


Twitter is like a large chat room with a huge bulletin board. It never sleeps and the beauty of all social media, I think is the content is user controlled. I can say whatever I like (withing reason) and only the people who follow me or are #hastag watching will see my content. It is searchable. If you want to troll for information, it is there and totally searchable.


If for example you think I am a mouthy good for nothing blowhard, you have options. You can unfollow me, block me and go about your merry way. On the other hand, if you think I am intelligent, confident and thought provoking, you can encourage your friends to follow me, by re-posting (called retweeting) my posts or doing a follow Friday post and include me in your list.


Twitter, I think is an example of free speech at its best.


Less than 100 years ago, I was property. African American men had the right to vote before women did and in the 60s, a black man or woman could not legally marry a white man or woman. It took some loud talking to effect those changes.


When I was in college, being gay was rarely talked about.


Times change and we must change with those times. We grow in our enlightenment. Look ye across the pond. Europe, while rife with their own issues, are examples of societies which trace their roots back to Roman occupation and then further back yet. They aren't still governing the way they did 1000s of years ago. They have grown and evolved. Beheading your political opponent and enslaving his followers, is so passe.


We now must learn to grow and evolve.


Fancy that. A movement advancing the evolution of marriage and the definition of family is embracing the new marketing tool.


Ponder that.

Help Wanted

Help Wanted: Congressional Reps and Senators

Reasonably well spoken, energetic self starter, with an eye for details, fantastic reading comprehension skills, and unsurpassed active listening skills. Must be able to manage a staff and an active calendar of events, understand modern communication methods such as Twitter, SmartPhones and email.

Desirable personality traits include: humble nature, ability to put others and their well-being ahead of personal gain. Must be dedicated to working on behalf of others and still maintain the ability to say "No" when it is warranted. 

Having read the Constitution of the United States of America is a requirement. Understanding what is and is not covered by said document extremely important.

The ideal candidate must refrain from involving him or herself in the private lives of others. All personal opinions of a moral, religious, or cultural nature must be kept to one's self at all times.

Extensive experience in accounting, money management and fiscal responsibility a bonus. Having taken classes or seminars or having on the job proven negotiation skills will be judged most favorably. An understanding of the concepts of "Prudent Man" and "Fiduciary Duty" also required.

Educational requirements vary and personal skills will be weighted equally to educational achievements.

Vacancies to be filled in early November - the applicant pool thus far, substandard. 

Word Choice

Or more correctly choice words. Four letter words. I use them from time to time. Sometimes those little zingers are just the thing. Sometimes they are overkill or frankly, as I tell the kiddos, there are better word choices out there, anyone could use that word, so go find the RIGHT word.

That said, I think that our touchiness with subjects that deal with alternative lifestyles, sex, violence, and gender, are supported with the creation of a curtain of "obscenity" and that curtain is woven together with banned words. We deem obscene that which we are not willing to face, deal with or acknowledge. Erasing words from the collective vocabulary is the human equivalent to an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

This story in the Other Paper caught my eye the other day.

If the mainstream wants to ostracize a group, then the easy way to do that is to make that groups vocabulary or words taboo or obscene. Culture depends on a common language or vocabulary. Word choice matters.

While I am not a lawyer and therefore some of what Chris Fairman says fails to make some sense to me, I do agree with the premise of this article:

Fuck reviews notable Supreme Court decisions that, Fairman argues, have empowered institutionalized censorship in the form of state anti-obscenity statutes and actions by federal agencies like the FCC. The book also includes chapters on “Genderspeak in the Workplace” and “Fuck in Teacher Speech.”

Fairman is concerned not only with state-regulated speech, but with moralists who push for self-censorship and government enforcement of their own linguistic taboos.

“Refraining from the use of fuck only reinforces the taboo,” Fairman writes. “Silence empowers a small segment of the population to try to sanitize our vocabulary under the guise of reflecting a greater community. Taboo is then institutionalized through law.”

I do know however that this sanitizing of speech is insidious. It is a question of who gets to decide. I have a real problem with the "government" being that who. I also have a problem when those choices are made with the desire to exclude. Who gets to decide is the real question.

Words are the vehicles, which we as humans, writers, journalists, mothers, fathers, children form our thoughts and ideas into something tangible to share. Words have power.

Don't believe me. Take a gander at the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. A big giant F-you to the king of England - and obviously words with teeth enough to start a war...**

**Disclaimer - While I have not read Mr. Fairman's book, it is on my to be read list. That said, I have read the bill of rights and the declaration more than once.

Let them listen...

So today L went to the gym of her school and watched President Obama's speech. She went with her two friends, who are Chinese American. She reports that only three kids in her class went. She thought more had been given permission to go, but instead choose recess.

In her school distract parents had to write permission slips, in order for their children to be allowed to hear the President of their nation speak.

I made it L's choice and wrote the permission slip accordingly. It is a free country last time I checked and she is a citizen. The US grants citizenship based on physical place of birth, for the most part. She has a passport and has gone and voted with me in almost every election since birth.

I cannot believe the TA-DA over the entire speech thing. Since when is listening to the President of the United States, encouraging you to stay in school and do your homework subversive. It is a honor that the President took time out of his busy day to address the future business and social leaders of the United States.

I wonder how many of the parents who were so outraged over President Obama addressing the youngest citizens of this Nation allow their children to watch Britney Spears half naked on TV and take their children to High School Musical movies and the like. How many of them expose them to all the commercialism that is our society? I am not saying it is wrong, but I fail to see how those pursuits are any more or less harmful, than letting them hear their President speak.

It is not like Chairman Mao was speaking. (Which might have been entertaining, seeing as he is dead...)

H's mother hid in the cellar on a weekly basis in Nazi Germany. Hoping to avoid being carted off to a work camp at best or assaulted at worst as a young girl. Her crime, being Catholic and having a father who refused to join the party.

We live in a democratic society, founded on the principals of healthy debate and room for disagreement. I get that some people are unhappy we have an African American liberal democrat as a president, but you know what, tough SHIT. In less than four years there is a remedy for that. Get off your ass, run a better candidate and VOTE.

Did I bitch and moan about Bush, yep. Did I tell anyone they should not listen to him on television, nope! But I did rock the vote, put a sign in my yard and VOTED, when it was time!

All this bitching and moaning, sounds like sour grapes to me.

School

The distract, where I attended school K-12, just had a levy fail. The school board has decided to cancel band and football. I think this is a shame. Do I think it is the voters fault. Nope. Clearly the school board did a poor selling their plan and knowing the mentality of the distract when I was there and I have to ask myself, why would that have changed, they put it to the voters - VOTE FOR THIS LEVY OR LOSE FOOTBALL. Right because all of us know, who have any marketing sense that threatening people gets them to make a positive buying or spending decision. Sometimes marketing through fear works I suppose, insurance companies bank on that, you fear losing your life's savings so you insure it.

But voting on tax levies, I am not sure the marketing through fear and threats is the way to go. I would not have swayed me.

In the hopes of full disclosure I did vote for the levy in the shamrock city. I wasn't going to, but I read the materials provided by the distract and I reviewed how they planned to spend every single nickel and decided, I agreed with their assessment and their plans. I was behind the improvements for the security of the buildings. I agreed with the districts appraisal of future long term revenue figures and I appreciated their conservative approach to their forecasts, especially in a down economy.

Threats work for the mafia but not so much for business. In case you are wondering, School Distracts are a business and should be run like one. They are a not for profit, but the decisions made must be grounded in financial principals and economic realities. if the tax bases is doing with less, they need to do with less. If the tax bases is forging raises then the teachers and administrators and board members do with out also.

I will also say this. While I believe extracurricular activities are very important to social development, in Europe and Japan, the sports and music and clubs are not school affiliated. They are after school, and separate from the school day. If you play soccer in Germany, in may be with the same friends you attend school with, but it is not for the school team, it is for a local club team. If you plan in musical trio or sing in the choir, you do so at school, for a private music school or attend a performing arts school.

I think if we truly want to compete academically with schools around the world, we need to have more focused instruction and less extra curricular. Extra curricular is for after the school day.

Now if we want to offer a well rounded package, which focuses on the overall well being of our children, then I think that is a different story. I do not happen to think we can do both, with the funding system we have in this country. In Japan and India, pressure is on in the schools and it is about learning, not being a well rounded social participant.

As with everything there have to be trade-offs. There have to compromises. The problem is, I think, that we are unwilling to make a commitment to those trade offs and continue to want it both ways.

Transparency

It was brought to my attention that my previous post on Obama's birth certificate was well, off.

Ok, whether the birth form exists or not what I was driving at was the need for TRANSPARENCY. I think TRANSPARENCY is the single most important tenant of governing, parenting, managing, and successful interpersonal relationships. We are a nation of lairs. Yes, you heard me. I firmly believe that we as a culture would much rather be lied to, then complain we are being lied to, but secretly rejoice that we are being lied to, because confronting and processing and acting on the truth is hard work and at the end of the day, most human beings are more comfortable being lied to and being allowed to wallow in their innate laziness. (WOW I am really being my bitchy best today; now see that is transparent and not so hard!)

My point in my previous post was the election committee or the DNC has guidelines. Show the proof that they rules that Obama met the the guidelines. People do not fundamentally believe anything anyone says, because, while we may appreciate that we are being lied to, we also do not like it. We live in a society where we believe we do not trust what is going one, because every time we turn around, we are shown that people would rather lie and conceal. Think of all the books out there about espionage and government and political intrigue. Its its own damn genre and like I always say, "real life is stranger than fiction."

So when Jack Nicholson goes into this rant, as much as we all think we are supposed to believe that he is a self righteous ego maniac, and that he is- is beside the point, he is right. We cannot handle the truth. We think we can, but we can't. We do not like thinking about the fact that we have kids on a line, drawn on some map, with an M-16, ready to take out another kid cuz our governments are locked in some high school style pissing contest. We do not like to think about the fact that we through our inactions or our blind eyes, we create situations where men like Jessup can practice their own brand of honesty and truth. Furthermore, because confronting our own culpability within those actions is positively intolerable. I am not judging the need for rules or custom or order with in the Corp. I am merely saying we as lazy lie loving cultural slugs, do not like to think that we benefit from these types of loops. We do not like to admit that if we fully supported a world that believed in transparency above our ego comforts, this type of loop might look different. People like Jessup, while perhaps important on a certain level, can run amuck and they run amuck through the cultural support of a less than transparent world.





Annie's shock in Bull Durham is palatable when Crash tells her exactly what he believes in. She was expecting bullshit. I generally expect bullshit, every time someone opens their mouth. Be it the the clergy person, the used salesman, my doctor, whoever, I always think, mmm, is this a kernel of truth moment or am I getting a line of shit. I generally settle on the fact that the person is giving me what they want me to believe in order to get me to do what they want me to do and that is a far cry from the truth. We are a culture that thrives on management via manipulation.

When the truth is truly a huge motivator. My kids work best and feel the most secure when I give them the truth. The truth folks need not be a long winded trietse on astrophysics. Case in point.

E and I are in the car, I am trying to get through some traffic and had been thinking about something I was writing about and E was asking all sorts of questions and I was half answering him and he kept at it and it was getting annoying and the traffic was annoying also. Finally E demands, "Mom, answer my questions."

So I had him repeat his question, which was really simple. I answered it and he was quiet. He knew I was not paying attention and he knew I was giving him half assed replies and so he kept crowing, more and more loudly.

So next time you are tempted to be half truthful or blow someone off with a half truth, or make the choice that they can't handle the truth, why not try the truth and transparency... most people won't believe you anyway.

The way to make them be quiet is to give them and US the full picture

While I find it hard to believe that Obama, a man of character, from what I have seen, would bother pursuing the presidency knowing that if he was not in fact born in Hawaii, he would be ineligible to be elected, I think the prudent thing to do is to cough up the full birth certificate.

I can see the value in ignoring the griping from the fringe, but by not showing proof, definitive proof, it looks like Obama has something to hide. Believe me, I am good at ignoring whining and incessant griping, but this is a HUGE issue of creditability and it is a matter of Constitutional law.

While I would like to think that the Democratic party was high and tight on this issue before running Obama on the ticket, I fail to see why we cannot just have a definitive answer in the form of the proof required to run and I assume there is such a proof obtaining process and then we can move on to the real issues facing this country.